Ema Ryan Yamazaki

Born in Kobe, and raised by a Japanese mother and British father, Ema grew up navigating between cultures. As a teenager, Ema's passion was modern dance, through which she learned discipline and self-expression.
Her interest in filmmaking began in middle school, when she was given the opportunity to tell stories using a video camera.
When she was 19, she moved to New York and attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, focusing on documentary and editing. Upon graduating from NYU, she began her career as an assistant editor, mentored by documentary mogul Sam Pollard.